STRIPES
A design journal writing about the intersection of design and sport, living in the space between.
Discussing the way in which design shapes sporting culture, through the lens of a designer.
#brandidentitydesigner #logodesigning #sportsbranding
Here’s a trail running brand I designed earlier this year, the aim was to make something high-energy and fun, whilst balancing some more earthy and natural tones.
How do you think I did?
#brandidentitydesign #visualidentitydesign #branddesigners
One of my biggest goals this year is to learn to love the process.
Creating is never linear, it’s a constant rollercoaster of doubting yourself, and then an hour later feeling like some sort of creative deity.
There are ups and downs, times where you feel like you haven’t got a clue what you’re doing or where you’re going.
And there are times where everything feels like it just clicks, slots in to place like the missing piece of a jigsaw.
I think learning to love those ups and downs will inevitably make me a better creative.
More appreciative of the good ideas, less scared of the bad ones.
I’m aiming to ride the wave of all that’s good and bad in my projects this year.
The doubt. The joy. The confusion.
Most importantly embracing the fact that most of the time I don’t know what I’m doing.
Because that’s where you create some incredible things.
I was told recently that if you know which way you’re headed, then it’s probably someone else’s path.
Being clueless is part of discovering something new and exciting.
I just have to keep telling myself to push through the frustration and believe in my ability!
#brandidentitydesigner #logodesign #visualidentitydesign
I’m burnt out🙃
This is far from a new feeling for most creatives, most of us are teetering on the edge of a burn out most of the time, if not right in the thick of one.
For the last couple of months I’ve been feeding off the energy of momentum and excitement of a new adventure.
Taking on new challenges and reaping the rewards of all the motivation to get started.
But that excitement is dwindling.
Not permanently, but I’m struggling to push through with new ideas for projects, and feed the content machine.
It’s a tough balance between switching off and pushing through.
Making sure I keep going back to projects and immersing myself in them, whilst also ensuring that when I step away, I properly step away.
There is never an easy fix to burn out, I just aim to come back each day with the mindset to keep having a go.
I’ve got a passion project in the making now, and I keep telling myself the outcome doesn’t matter.
Because it doesn’t.
I don’t have to post it.
I don’t have to show anyone.
It’s sole purpose is just to get me back in the groove, and enjoying the process again.
Not feeling like the process is beating the sh*t out of me.
How do you guys avoid burnout?
#branddesigner #brandidentitydesign #logodesignersclub
MINUS ONE
Premium winter wear, with a contemporary brand identity to fit!
Concept brand with a brief from @briefcorp
#bcminusone
#branddesigner #wintersport #sportsbranding
“Perfect is the enemy of good”
Plenty of good projects have gone down the drain in the pursuit of perfection.
Ditching a ‘failing’ project instead of spending some time on it feels like the easy way of moving forward. No time for projects to go wrong, just move on to the next one.
In the fast-paced, cutthroat world of social media it can be incredibly difficult to allow a project to form. I often find myself making a decision about the longevity of a project within the first hour.
Is this working? No. Move on.
But projects need time, ideas need space to breathe.
We all find ourselves solving problems when we are in the shower or trying to get to sleep, as our brain slows down we finally connect the dots.
Design projects need to be afforded the same right, allow your subconscious brain to ruminate, and the world to influence you. Rushing through a project often only ends with a half-baked idea.
I’ve been guilty of this many a time, but going forward I want to grant myself the right to go slow, take it easy and let the ideas form.
Letting my brain mull over an idea will hopefully lead to better, more considered design going forward. As well as a deeper understanding of my own process.
Do you find yourself binning projects before you’ve even given them a chance?
As with any creative, I’m constantly struck by new ideas and inspiration at the most random times.
New project ideas, design styles I want to try or industries to explore.
But when the time to action these thoughts rolled round….
Brain fog.
Frustration.
ZERO ideas.
And so I drop the project and move onto something else.
You see, in each of these projects I hit the same wall.
Being sh*t😭
But that’s not a problem, the problem is I don’t allow myself to be bad.
Therefore I don’t learn.
And the whole process starts again.
Going forward my goal is to revel in the opportunity to be bad, the chance to learn something new and change my outlook.
Enjoy the process of learning!
I would much rather be someone who fails everyday, than someone who fails to show up.
So, watch me make mistakes, watch me not know what I’m doing, but also watch me get better faster than I ever would have, all whilst loving the process
#branddesigner #brandidentity #freelancedesigner
Freelancing is a constant game of cat and mouse, chasing elusive clients and making sure you can pay your rent come the end of the month.
I’ve been self-employed for about 2 years now and sometimes it feels like luck of the draw whether you’re going to get a client in any given month. But I’m determined to put a stop to the vicious cycle.
Posting on socials is a huge part of getting new clients in, but is such a daunting thought.
We are constantly hearing about being ‘authentic’ on social media, but the very nature of ‘trying’ to be authentic feels counterintuitive.
In 2026 I want to be more **vulnerable.**
Posting about the actual work I’m struggling on and the day-to-day problems I am actually having, not just what I’ve been told does well online by Instagram gurus.
Honestly it’s probably going to be quite tough, constantly fighting the urge to edit something for the sake of better analytics or comparing to other, bigger creators.
As I write this at the end of 2025, I am sort of excited about what the year ahead might hold.
Also terrified…
But either way I want to keep documenting what I’m going through and use this page as a scrapbook of my progress.
If you’ve read this far, stick a comment in telling me what you want to achieve in 2026 and we can go on this journey together!
#branddesigner #brandidentitydesign #logodesignersclub
RIDGELINE
Concept branding for a trail running apparel brand, using dynamic, modern imagery mixed with natural blue and green tones for an exhilarating and motivating brand identity.
#brandidentitydesign #digitalarchive #branddesigners #thegraphicaddict
@branding.board@europebranddesign@thebrandidentity@thegraphicaddict@welovebranding
As I write this I have precisely 0 clients.
This happens…a lot.
I have a spree of 2 or 3 projects coming in at once, or a long booking that keeps me busy…
Then nothing.
So begins the hunt for new work, sending emails and messages, trying to post on social media, trying to convince someone to hire me.
Finally something comes in, but then the whole process starts over again.
So how the hell do you keep clients coming in regularly?
This coming year I am switching my stance.
Stop chasing, start attracting.
Create my own projects that I WANT to work on.
My aim is to make it so obvious what interests and inspires me, that anytime someone sees me online they know exactly what I do, and exactly what I like.
Design, film, write, create, make ANYTHING that I enjoy and put it out into the world.
I’m going to keep showing up and keep being me, the right clients will come, I just have to be there when they do.
#branddesigner #brandidentitydesign #logodesignersclub
Curated sneaker store concept “Sneakroom”, for @thenewbrief
Modern and editorial layouts meet the bold, urban streets of London & LA culture.
Imagery is picked to feel full of life and energy whilst being housed by a more neutral black and white, fly poster aesthetic.
#thenewbrief #tnbsneakroom
#visualidentitydesign #branddesign #branddesigners
